In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle famously mused, “How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?” While the point holds true, de Gaulle’s estimate was a lowball—France boasts closer to 1,600 varieties of cheese, which is a whole lot of cheese for a country roughly the size of Texas.
Continue reading →
Celebrated wine aficionado, Ron Kapon, who is known in wine circles as the Peripatetic Oenophile — the traveling wine expert — answers questions that Cheese Connoisseur readers have asked.
Portions of this article are excerpted from “Discovering The World of Wine”, an online course offered by Fairleigh Dickinson University that I co-authored. It is used with the permission of Fairleigh Dickinson University. Anyone that would like to register for the online course at a special rate can contact FDU’s Continuing Education Department at (201) 692-6500; http://www.fdu.edu/academic/wineonline/.
Said to be one of the first cheeses ever made, Ossau-Iraty is a beloved gem with a rich history. Once upon a time, or so the story goes, the Greek God Apollo had a son named Aristee, a shepherd, who turned the milk from his herd of sheep into this delicious cheese. Although an actual Greek God may not have invented Ossau-Iraty, the wheels are made according to a tradition that dates back some 3,000 years. This means Ossau-Iraty predates the English alphabet.
Editor’s Note: One afternoon I received a call from Sebastien Lehembre, senior brand manager at Group Savencia (Alouette Brand) asking if I would like to spend a day with Roland Barthélemy “playing with cheese.” To understand my delight, one must understand the respect Barthélemy holds in the international cheese community. Not only did I feel honored, but also surprised and slightly intimidated.
If you don’t already have plans for July 2 through July 24 this year, I have a suggestion. The Tour de France — the greatest bicycle race in the world and the third-most popular sporting event, drawing close to 4 million TV viewers worldwide — takes place during those three weeks. Even if you can’t be among the thousands of spectators cheering the competitors on along the 2,200-mile route, you can still join in the excitement of the race. Continue reading →
The world is going tariff crazy! President Trump put tariffs on China, and they respond in kind. Recently, the news is filled with the decision to impose tariffs on Mexican tomatoes while “dumping” charges are investigated. In the background, the U.S. has won a World Trade Organization action declaring that Europe has been subsidizing large civilian...